


rampant fantasies and vibrant figments

by llien



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Dream Eater Link (Kingdom Hearts), Dream Eater Riku (Kingdom Hearts), Flirting, M/M, Romantic Fluff, sweet dreams are made of this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:54:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23168866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/llien/pseuds/llien
Summary: Of course, it was a dream, one Riku was more than capable of controlling to boot. For all his huffing and puffing, Sora knew they wouldn't be anything less than perfect.He peeked over his shoulder and found Riku's bright cyan eyes riveted on the treats. God, were theydilated?"You were saying?" Sora asked, tilting his head and acting as if he was genuinely asking.Riku drew up short, snapping his jaw closed and glaring at Sora. Sora wiggled the cookie tray filled with the treats and Riku shot up in his seat in alarm."Sora!" Riku hissed, but Sora was too busy laughing to mind it.
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 341





	rampant fantasies and vibrant figments

**Author's Note:**

> I've been meaning to write something like this for a year now, but I came across some..... unexpected difficulties. It's just Sora spoiling Riku, really, which he probably deserves to be doted on a little, even though Riku's poor heart probably can't take it.
> 
> Inspired by Bun's art, because dreameater!Riku going [chirithy noises] STILL makes me laugh.

Sora was having the time of his life. 

Somehow, without his realizing it, sharing his dreams with Riku had become routine. Too many nightmares in a row meant one night, Riku had just showed up in the middle of his dream. It'd shaken Sora out of the usual blurred reality, shocking him into lucidity. Riku had been surprisingly embarrassed, pink-cheeked and stammering that he should probably go since Sora didn't need him.

Which was one of the stupidest things he'd ever heard, and that was _really_ saying something considering Riku had said more stupid, sad, hurtful things than Sora ever cared to keep track of.

"Sora," Riku said in that way that meant he was fast losing his patience. Riku had yet to really lose his temper with Sora in a long time though, so Sora figured it was fine to keep joyfully decorating.

They were crowded into a kitchen built into a hill, wooden shelves overcrowded with jars of dream pieces casting luminous rainbrow fragments all over as the sunlight from various windows bounced off the pieces. Dreameaters chattered and played around him and Riku as Sora baked.

The marble topped kitchen island was covered _entirely_ in batter, whisks, mixing bowls, sprinkles, and all manner of baking. A clumsy tower of cookie cutters threatened to collapse at any second, titter-tottering dangerously, and there was a few wooden stools stacked with his reference books crowding one side of the island. At his back, warm and emitting gentle heat was a large vintage oven, absolutely stuffed to the brim with tasty treats.

 _"Sora,"_ Riku complained again. Riku whined a lot, really. Not in any way that was annoying or anything, but Sora would bet five megapotions that if he said as much to Riku, he'd deny it til' kingdom come. 

"Riku," Sora said cheerfully back, purposefully being obtuse. A timer in the shape of a Catanuki went off excitedly and Sora clapped his hands free of dough, pushing the leaf on its head to stop it. Snatching the similarly themed Ryu Dragon gloves to slip on, he pulled out the trays of treats that were done _perfectly._

Of course, it was a dream, one Riku was more than capable of controlling to boot. For all his huffing and puffing, Sora knew they wouldn't be anything less than perfect.

He peeked over his shoulder and found Riku's bright cyan eyes riveted on the treats. God, were they _dilated?_

"You were saying?" Sora asked, tilting his head and acting as if he was genuinely asking.

Riku drew up short, snapping his jaw closed and glaring at Sora. Sora wiggled the cookie tray filled with the treats and Riku shot up in his seat in alarm.

"Sora!" Riku hissed, but Sora was too busy laughing to mind it.

"Oh, geez Riku. Just give up the act. All your friends go absolutely nuts over these, ya know? Don't know why, they taste kinda plain to me honestly," Sora sniffed at the tray in his hand before carefully placing it down before it finally managed to burn through his mitts.

"Plain!" Riku said, offended. "They taste—"

Sora arched a brow, unable to help his shit eating grin. "They taste?"

Riku twisted his lips. "Fine," he spat, refusing to break. 

Sora clicked his tongue, dissatisfied. Fine, Riku could play the game the hard way. So could Sora! He let the treats cool for a few minutes, going back to carefully cut and shape the rest of them. Idly, he wondered if he could somehow replicate them in real life, but none of the ingredients actually existed outside of his dreams. This batch had generous amounts of rampant fantasies and vibrant figments, since Riku seemed to enjoy those most.

Riku cupped his chin in his hands, resigned to watching Sora as the treats cooled. He sat on a stool, a single foot of space allowed on the counter for him to rest his elbows. Sora got too flustered if he thought about how closely Riku watched him, and he told himself it was just because Sora was making Riku's now favorite food.

All around them dreameaters milled about, exciting and chittering to each other as the smell of freshly baked snacks permeated the tiny kitchen. Sora had to be careful not to step on any of them underfoot as they sunbathed on the clay-colored tiles, finding the spots of light from the circular windows mounted in the sides and ceilings of the tine abode Riku had conjured. Komory Bat was resting in a hanging basket of poppies, contentedly snoozing as he waited while several Necho Cats danced circles around his impatient Meow Wow.

Speaking of impatience... Sora eyed the way Riku chewed on his lip.

"And you get on _me_ for chapped lips," Sora said, catching Riku off guard. It was beyond refreshing, seeing Riku in his dreams. Maybe it was because Riku knew not a single other soul aside from Sora would really see him, or because there was no danger aside from Sora's own psyche, which Riku was more than equipped to handle, but it was like years had slipped off of him, revealing a still excitable Riku, when he'd had daydreams so complex he'd spend afternoons weaving fanciful stories of adventures and heroes to Sora. 

Sora ached for those days, when he could pillow his head on Riku's lap, watching Riku's hands paint stories in the air above, even the summer sun and glistening sea second to Riku's sparkling eyes as he dreamed.

That Riku was back, bright teal eyes tracking his every move as he noticeably couldn't keep still. It was cute. It was too cute. Sora bit his lip to cage his smile.

But as his remark, Riku stopped chewing. "It's a dream," he defended, "not like it'll transfer over to real life."

"You never know," Sora said ominously, hoping Riku wouldn't notice the undercurrent of seriousness. The criss-crossing target had sunk in as scars on his chest, and Riku still didn't know. He might not ever know, if Sora could get away with wearing a shirt forever. Better that than face the shame of his failure. 

"What's that mean?" Riku remarked sharply, all eager boyishness disappearing instantly. Sora winced.

"I mean," Sora stalled, turning away under the preface of transferring the treats from the baking sheet to a plate. "If you eat too many of these, who knows what'll happen."

"They're just dreams," Riku scoffed, "nothing wrong with having too many dreams."

Sora snickered, "Wow Riku, cheesy much?"

He turned back around in time to catch the blush striking across his cheeks as he ducked his face, but Sora decided to be lenient. It was dangerous, having this much leverage over Riku. He was so used to Riku being smarter, stronger, better — having _this_ to lord over him, especially when he was so guileless and honest about it, gave Sora butterflies in his stomach. He felt the thrill from his heart to the tips of his toes when his words and suggestive glances left Riku flustered. Riku! _Flustered._ Maybe this was why Riku teased him all the time.

It was fast becoming addictive.

"So, they taste like dreams?" Sora asked, plucking one to pass to Meow Wow, who was excited he tripped and flipped over before he could take the treat. As soon as he got his share though, all the dreameaters clustered him, demanding pets and treats and attention before contentedly backing off to snack. Only three were left for Riku, which was fine. The entire next batch was for him.

"Yeah," Riku murmured, enviously watching the rest eat before him. Sora stifled a snicker as he carried the plate over to Riku, sitting on the stool beside him previously occupied by a sleepy Me Me Bunny that had joined its companions on the cushion strewn floor. Sora made some room on the island and set the plate down, eyeing the way Riku's eyes immediately jumped to it.

Sora leaned an elbow on the counter, cupping his cheek to watch as he poked the plate with a finger, scootching it closer to Riku who sat hesitantly.

"Go on," Sora said, amused, "I made them for all of you, you know."

Riku cut him a look through his lashes, unreadable, but then he snatched one of the treats up, looking nervously away as he bit into it.

There was no other word to describe it. Riku positively _melted._

He groaned, surprisingly deep and throaty, sending a hot flush through Sora as Riku closed his eyes appreciatively. All the fractals of rainbow light danced on Riku's hair and skin, and even the chatter of their companions died away as Sora focused.

"God," Riku moaned, _"nothing_ tops this, I swear." He didn't hesitate to shove the whole treat in, chewing and savoring it. Riku made it look so good, Sora was tempted to try it again. Maybe it would finally taste like something to him, but they never did.

"What's it taste like?" Sora whispered, as if speaking any louder would break the fragile honesty Riku was showing him.

Riku blinked, blushing and taken aback as he realized how much of himself he'd let go. He licked his lips to chase any lingering crumbs, then reached for the second. "It's hard to describe," Riku began, breaking the treat in half to probably prevent a repeat of the first one. "It's just... it's just _good._ Its pure feeling."

Sora tried to imagine what _feeling_ could taste like, but all that immediately came to mind was the salty beginnings of nausea, or the iron taste of dread. He figured, reacting the way Riku was, it was probably good feelings, like happiness or excitement, but he couldn't really put a flavor to those. All he could think of was the way those emotions paired with experiences — of piloting the gummship, or finding a new world, or making Riku laugh. Still, if the taste reflected any of that, no wonder Riku was struggling to keep up his Cool Kid facade.

He closed his eyes again as the treat disappeared past his lips, managing to tame his groan into a hum instead. Sora knew he was wearing a goofy grin, but he couldn't help. It was just so rare to see Riku like this. It felt like it'd been years, long before their first world hopping adventure. Riku had been closed off for so long, that Sora didn't want this to end. 

He thieved the other half of the cookie before Riku opened his eyes, holding it up in front of him so his unreal-cyan eyes locked on it immediately.

"Wh—"

"Come on!" Sora said, waving the treat under his nose and leaning up closer. Riku's head tilted slightly, following it unconsciously with his nose. "I got to feed all the others, shouldn't I be giving it to you?"

Riku's brows furrowed, predictably. "Sora," he said warningly. "No. No way."

"Riku," Sora said back, sing-song. He looked so obviously tempted, it almost made Sora feel bad. He held it out closer, in the same space grabbing the plate to hold it out behind him so Riku didn't get any funny ideas. "Please?"

Riku visibly caved, cheeks going bright pink as he sighed and obediently leaned forward to bite the treat. Sora could feel the give of the cookie as Riku bit into it, and this close his dream-eyes were even more unreal. They were only like this in Sora's dreams, and he was embarrassed to know it was likely because _Sora_ wanted them that way, but they were so, so pretty, especially with Riku's soft white hair falling around his face. The rest of the treat disappeared, and Sora's hovering hand found purchase cupping Riku's cheek.

Riku's eyes closed, leaning into Sora's palm with a sigh. And because dreams never had any inhibition, nothing stopped Sora from slipping his fingers into Riku's hair to see if it was as soft as it looked in his dreams. 

Riku made a sound, like a sigh unintentionally vocalized, vulnerable. Sora dropped the plate back on the island, freeing his other hand so he could run his fingers through Riku's hair rhythmically, sliding down his nape and coming forward to cup his face as his thumbs swiped over Riku's cheeks, mesmerized by the light playing over him.

When he passed over the corner of his lips, Riku's eyes fluttered open, peony pink, and Sora gasped.

That seemed to shake Riku out of his trance and he jerked back, cheeks flushing a deeper, darker red than his eyes as he lifted an arm to cover his mouth, staring at Sora, utterly flabbergasted.

"Oh," Sora said at the loss, hands hovering in place before he dropped them. "Uhm."

Riku seemed incapable of speech, but Sora knew he had to fix this fast before Riku decided this was another irredeemable trench in their friendship. But Sora's mouth was talking before his mind even knew what he was going to say.

"Your eyes are so pretty like that."

"What?" Riku practically squawked, arm dropping as he jerkily looked at his hands as if he could find the evidence there. 

"They turned pink," Sora said matter of fact, and all of a sudden everything that had just occurred hit him, and he grew hot under the collar. He tugged at his shirt nervously. "I-I don't know if the treats did it, I know some of my other dreameaters change dispositions with them but I never thought that'd work on you and anyways it's probably harmless or something but I-I'm sorry I didn't mean—"

"Sora," Riku said, cutting off his babbling nervous tirade. Sora nervously met his eyes, and they were still pink but less pure pale and more warm rose, evidence in the way his eyes crinkled as he smiled. "It's fine, it's happened before."

"Really?" Sora asked, leaning back into Riku's space as he held back on his relief.

"Y-yeah. In your uhm... in your nightmares."

Riku didn't want to meet his gaze, but Sora was too relieved to make note of it, sighing. "Thank God, I thought I'd done something wrong."

Riku snorted, rubbing at a corner of his eye with the underside of his wrist. "By what, baking me cookies? Really, the end of the world," he said dryly.

"Ha. Ha." Sora said sarcastically. He grabbed the last cookie, holding it out to Riku expectantly. Riku pursed his lips, but he still leaned down to gently take it between his teeth. Then he chomped it down wolfishly, making Sora laugh. With the way Riku grinned and thumbed at his lips, it was probably on purpose. 

Still... Sora was curious.

Slowly, so Riku could back if he wanted, Sora reached forward again, and with the barest brush of his fingertips, he caressed Riku's bangs free of his face, drifting away at his temple as the silvery strands fell back in place. Riku took a deep settling breath, and that deep rose melted into something almost close to red, blush-warm. It made Sora's cheeks burn.

Riku caught his wrist before it could fall away entirely, and the smooth rhythmic swipes of his thumb on the inside of his wrist was going to make Sora lose his mind.

"Thanks," Riku murmured, holding his gaze.

Sora felt somehow trapped, the roles reversed from earlier, but it was a feeling he was used to. He grinned, twisting their hands until he held Riku's.

"You're welcome."


End file.
